NDA, UPA stake claim in Jharkhand but Bihar tangle may spoil Cong’s Ranchi prospects

With key players Ram Vilas Paswan and Laloo Prasad Yadav staying put in Patna, there was little forward movement to break the Bihar deadlock...

With key players Ram Vilas Paswan and Laloo Prasad Yadav staying put in Patna, there was little forward movement to break the Bihar deadlock here today, leaving the field open to speculation.

The JD(U)-BJP combine, still in the ‘‘wait and watch’’ mode, tried to put its act together in Jharkhand today but also held a few strategy meetings on the ‘‘emerging situation’’ in Bihar, sources said.

Congress spokesman Anand Sharma declared that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will hold talks with Laloo and Paswan when they arrive in the Capital tomorrow ‘‘as we are committed to progressive secular governments in the two states’’.

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However, with Paswan sending a letter to Bihar Governor Buta Singh, categorically stating that ‘‘newly elected MLAs, who have won on LJP symbol, have decided not extend their support to RJD or NDA’’, the possibility of a ‘‘secular’’ government in Bihar has become much more difficult, Congressmen privately conceded.

The deadlock is likely to cast a shadow on Congress prospects in Jharkhand as well. Unlike in Bihar, where no party or combination has yet formally staked a claim to form the government, formal claims were made on behalf of both UPA and NDA in Jharkhand today. But Governor Sibtey Razi told both Congress and BJP to elect a leader and provide him with a list of MLAs by March 2.

The BJP promptly re-elected Arjun Munda as the leader of the BJP-JD(U) group and plans to provide a list of at least 42 MLAs tomorrow.

In Bihar, even though the first round of talks with Sonia Gandhi are slated to take place tomorrow, a final decision could take several days. ‘‘We have to first gauge the mood of both Paswan and Laloo, and figure out how firm or flexible they are on their positions. Only after that can real negotiations begin,’’ a leader said.

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If Paswan is a little ‘‘flexible’’, then a give-and-take formula can be worked out. But Paswan’s letter to the Governor indicates he is firm on his anti-RJD, anti-BJP position, at least for now. In that case, the Congress leadership would have to persuade Laloo to agree to a spell of President’s Rule. The Bihar unit of the Congress, which is as anti-Laloo as Paswan, would prefer that option. The Congress too is not averse to this because Central rule with the UPA at the Centre only gives the party more leverage in the state.

Even the JD(U)-BJP combine would be quite happy with President’s Rule. A JD(U) leader said, ‘‘After all, we have been demanding President’s Rule in Bihar for years. Our main aim is to get Laloo out.’’

But if Laloo is adamant about forming a government, President’s Rule may also not be quite the easy option it is being made out to be.